Tech Lead Software Engineer, Innovative Growth

Technology
Tech Lead Software Engineer, Innovative Growth
Location
:
San Jose
Employment Type
:
Regular
Job Code
:
A26634
Responsibilities
We are building the next generation of growth and content optimization systems for TikTok, powered by AIGC technologies and innovative search and discovery strategies. Our mission is to drive user growth and improve user experience through intelligent content optimization, scalable backend systems, and new growth opportunities across evolving digital ecosystems.
Our team operates at the intersection of product, data, engineering, and AI-driven content technologies, turning new ideas and technical advances into scalable, real-world growth solutions used by millions of users. We work closely with product, algorithm, data, and design partners to ensure that advanced technologies translate into measurable business impact and intuitive user experiences across TikTok surfaces such as Web, Lite, and other emerging platforms.
Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of backend systems that power user growth and content optimization across TikTok platforms
• Drive innovative growth initiatives across search, discovery, and other emerging traffic channels
• Develop AIGC-powered solutions and scalable systems for content optimization, experimentation, and automated workflows
• Own the technical direction and architecture evolution of key growth and content systems
• Lead complex projects end-to-end, from technical design to production rollout, with strong ownership of quality and business impact
• Partner closely with product, data, algorithm, and design teams to drive cross-functional technical execution
• Mentor engineers, review technical designs, and raise engineering standards across the team

Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or above in Computer Science or a related field
• 5+ years of industry experience in backend engineering or distributed systems
• Strong experience designing and building large-scale backend services or consumer-facing platforms
• Experience working on content, growth, recommendation, experimentation, or search-related systems
• Proficiency in one or more of the following languages: Go, Python, Java, or C++
• Strong system design, architecture, and problem-solving skills
• Experience leading complex cross-functional technical projects from design to production

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience setting technical direction or leading engineering efforts within a team
• Experience mentoring engineers and improving engineering standards
• Experience with AIGC, LLM applications, agent frameworks, AI coding tools, or workflow automation systems
• Interest in search, discovery, and growth ecosystems, including areas such as SEO, GEO, or emerging AI-driven traffic channels
• Experience building data-driven optimization or experimentation platforms
• Experience delivering user-facing products from concept to production in a fast-paced environment

Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $244800 - $450000 annually.
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Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
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Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
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The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
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For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
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Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
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1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
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2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
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3. Exercising sound judgment.
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About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
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Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we work towards every day.
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We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
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Diversity & Inclusion
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TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
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TikTok Accommodation
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at
https://tinyurl.com/RA-request